Or, really, the stupid reality of how government and unions run a business
(Reuters) General Motors Co sold a record number of Chevrolet Volt sedans in August —but that probably isn’t a good thing for the automaker’s bottom line.
Nearly two years after the introduction of the path-breaking plug-in hybrid, GM is still losing as much as $49,000 on each Volt it builds, according to estimates provided to Reuters by industry analysts and manufacturing experts.
Cheap Volt lease offers meant to drive more customers to Chevy showrooms this summer may have pushed that loss even higher. There are some Americans paying just $5,050 to drive around for two years in a vehicle that cost as much as $89,000 to produce.
Fortunately GM also makes vehicles that do sell and make money, like pickups and big SUVs, but the pure idiocy of selling a vehicle which loses as much as $49k per sale is staggering. And, let’s not forget that majority are sold to government.
